FREEDOM

CHINA
indicated increased government interference in the
education and training of young Buddhist monks. In
protest of these and other repressive policies, at least
143 Tibetans have self-immolated since February 2009.
Buddhist leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who had
been serving a 20-year sentence, died in prison in July
2015. Supporters of the popular monk maintained he
was falsely accused of separatism and terrorism, and
there were reports that police opened fire on a group of
supporters who had gathered in his memory. Chinese
authorities cremated Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s body
against his family’s wishes and Buddhist practice,
leading many to suspect foul play in his death. Also,
authorities subsequently detained his sister and niece
for nearly two weeks after they requested his body be
turned over to them.
The past year was marked by several notable anniversaries:
the 80 th birthday of the Dalai Lama, the 50 th
anniversary of Beijing’s control over the Tibet Autonomous
Region, and the 20 th anniversary of the disappearance
of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, also known as the
Panchen Lama. Abducted at the age of six, the Panchen
Lama has been held in secret by the Chinese government
for more than two decades. Also in 2015, the government
accused the Dalai Lama of “blasphemy” for suggesting
he would not select a successor or reincarnate, effectively
ending the line of succession; Beijing also reiterated its
own authority to select the next Dalai Lama.
Protestants and Catholics
In May 2015, authorities in Zhejiang Province circulated
draft regulations governing the color, size and location
of religious signs, symbols, and structures. While the
regulations apply to all religious markers, the move
aligned with provincial officials’ systematic efforts
in recent years to forcibly remove church crosses in
Zhejiang Province, an area with a high concentration of
Christians. Officially branded the “Three Rectifications
and One Demolition” campaign, Chinese authorities
use the pretext of building code violations to target
houses of worship, particularly churches, as illegal
structures. By some estimates, the number of cross
removals and church demolitions totaled at least 1,500,
and many who opposed these acts were arrested. The
campaign reached such intensity in 2015 that even government-approved
churches and the provincial arms
of the government-run Catholic Patriotic Association
and Protestant Christian Council publicly expressed
alarm, including in a public letter written by the government-appointed
bishop of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province
and co-signed by several priests.
By some estimates, the number of
cross removals and church demolitions
totaled at least 1,500, and many who
opposed these acts were arrested.
Although Chinese authorities released several
parishioners and pastors throughout the year, they
continued to summon, question, detain, and even arrest
clergy and parishioners of unregistered house churches,
such as at Huoshi Church in Guizhou Province. In January
2015, local officials informed the family of imprisoned
Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang that he had died. At
the time of his reported death, the underground bishop
had been imprisoned, without charges, for 14 years at a
secret location, in addition to previous imprisonments
and hard labor. In March, a court sentenced Pastor
Huang Yizi to one year in prison for trying to protect the
cross at Salvation Church in Zhejiang Province from
removal. Additionally, as noted above, human rights
lawyers often are targeted for assisting religious followers.
For example, prior to a meeting with U.S. Ambassador-at-Large
for International Religious Freedom David
Saperstein in August 2015, Chinese authorities seized
human rights lawyer Zhang Kai. Mr. Zhang is known
for his work on behalf of those affected by the church
demolitions and cross removals in Zhejiang Province
and previously represented Pastor Huang. Following six
months of being held without charge – likely at one of
China’s notorious “black jail” facilities known for their
use of torture – Zhang Kai was criminally detained in
February 2016.
The Vatican and China continued their ongoing
formal dialogues, including a Vatican delegation’s visit
to China in October 2015. During the year, the Vatican
reportedly suggested a compromise regarding the
selection and approval of bishops in China, though
the government of China has not agreed. While some
USCIRF | ANNUAL REPORT 2016 35